The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of apparatus for producing soap foam or lather.
Generally speaking, the lather producing apparatus of the present development is of the type comprising a liquid soap-dosing device which can be activated by a lever and further contains therein a source of pressurized gas or air, which opens by means of closable orifices or openings and/or lines or conduits into a mixing chamber. The lather producing apparatus is equipped with at least one supply container or reservoir for an aqueous soap solution or liquid soap. Moreover, the lather producing apparatus can contain a heater device for producing warm lather or soap foam.
As is well known, soap dispensers of the most different designs are employed in public and private washrooms, toilets and the like. Among these there are known lather producing soap dispensers employing a propellant gas composed of dichlorodifluoromethane (more commonly known under the trademark "FREON 12") and the widespread use thereof has been restricted because of environmental reasons.
A lather producing apparatus according to the general type herein above described, is known to the art from U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,512, granted Jan. 23, 1973, wherein, with the aid of an exchangeable pressurized gas flask (not air) there is produced, by means of liquid soap a coarse bubble foam or lather, within a mixing chamber or compartment which is controlled by a float valve. By activating a lever for a random length of time and which is mounted at an end thereof and connected with a valve, the lather or soap foam flows, in a corresponding quantity, initially through a perforated plate arranged forwardly of the valve. This perforated plate reduces the size of the bubbles and increases the lather or foam density. Thereafter, the soap foam or lather flows through an outlet nozzle. This outlet nozzle has arranged forwardly thereof an electrical heating device enabling heating-up of the outflowing lather.
This prior art lather producing apparatus requires a large amount of space, and furthermore, the pressurized gas container or flask, must be regularly exchanged.